Allegations in recent years that GCSE and A-Level exams are getting easier appear to have been proven following an official report.

Official analysis by exam watchdog Ofqual has found that examination papers for subjects including geography and science are now "less demanding" than they were a decade ago, preventing brighter students from demonstrating their full potential.

The study showed that more recent exams give students more multiple choice questions and mean they have to learn less of the syllabus, resulting in a dumbing down which is leaving students ill-prepared for university.

The report, referred to in the Daily Mail, comes just days after the head of Ofqual said the two sets of exams had been undermined by "persistent grade inflation" which he said was "impossible to justify".